Adventurous, Honest and Wholesome

Spaghetti Bolognese

My choice for death row, without a doubt. Hearty, homely and ‘a cuddle in the mouth’. I did try this in Bologna and it was very good (almost as good as this little number) – not too saucy, caressing the spaghetti, rather than drowning it. It was also mixed in, which my partner was happy to hear as this is how he has his ‘the proper Italian way’ as he reminds me. It’s slightly annoying preparing mine on top and his mixed in when you are starving hungry but this is how we had it growing up and old habits die hard.

I know everyone thinks their mums Bolognese is the best but this corker gives them all a run for their money.

Please try this recipe just once and let me know your thoughts. It’s adapted from a Delia Smith recipe with a few alterations, part of which is the exclusion of liver. I served this to my mum recently and she has even adopted this as her own. My butcher was also intrigued as he had never incorporated bacon. If you favor lasagna, plate this up with a white sauce on top and grated cheese on top of that. We have experimented with pasta shapes but always fall back on good old spaghetti.

Sometimes the gravitation from this being in the freezer is the only incentive to get out of bed after a heavy night out on the razz. It’s probably the only meal we eat in complete silence (maybe apart from a good burger).

If the joy of cooking this up in a big cauldron-esque pan and filling the house with sweet aromas isn’t enough motivation to get straight on it, then how about the leftover red wine?

Ingredients – Serves about 8, excellent for freezer provisions

About 4 tbsp olive oil

2 largish onions chopped small

6 cloves of garlic, minced

6 – 8 rashers of smoked, streaky bacon chopped

500g pork mince

500g lean beef mince

2 tins of cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes

2 sml tins of tomato paste

1 bottle of good red wine (bar 1 small glass)

1 whole nutmeg, grated

2 bay leaves

1 bunch of basil

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften before adding the garlic. Cook garlic for a few minutes and then add the chopped bacon and cook this all together until the bacon is slightly golden.

Transfer the onion mixture to a large saucepan . Add 1 tbsp of oil to the frying pan and brown the pork mince before adding this to the big saucepan with the onion mixture. Heat 1 more tablespoon of oil in the frying pan and brown the beef mince before adding that to the saucepan with everything else.

Add the tomatoes, paste, wine, nutmeg, season generously and bring the pot to a boil for a few minutes to cook out the wine. Turn down the heat to a simmer and chop the basil before adding it with the bay leaves.

Simmer for about 4 hours until the sauce is to your desired viscosity, put some music on and enjoy the wine.